Who is Su Bingtian? China sprint star is Asia’s fastest man
- The 32-year-old had best year of his career with history-making appearance in Tokyo Olympic 100m final
- Coach Randy Huntington says that sprinter is ‘capable of’ 9.79 or 9.78, with Su not ruling out appearing at Paris 2024 Summer Games at 35
“Asia’s Fastest Man” Su Bingtian burst into the wider public consciousness during the semi-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer.
That was when the 32-year-old ran the 100m in an Asian record 9.83 seconds to break his own record as the fastest man from the continent.
It secured him a place in history as the first Chinese runner to compete in the men’s Olympic 100m final, the showpiece event of the Summer Games.
Su also entered the race as the fastest qualifier among the field with his 9.83 matched but not bettered by Ronnie Baker of the US.
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China blown away by Su Bingtian, first Chinese runner to reach Olympic men’s 100m final
The Chinese history-maker did not go on to make further history with a medal in the subsequent final under the floodlights of the Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
That was won by Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs in 9.80 seconds with Fred Kerley of the US in silver in 9.84 seconds and Andre DeGrasse of Canada winning bronze in 9.89 seconds.
Surprise silver for Su Bingtian and ‘his student’ in relay
Su finished in sixth in 9.98 seconds – his fourth sub-10 seconds time of the year – but would go on to glory at the National Games in Xian in September.
The sprinter had never won gold at the National Games but finally put that right.
Su came home first in 9.95 seconds at the Xian Olympic Centre Stadium, well clear of the defending champion and China relay teammate Xie Zhenye, who finished in 10.10 seconds.
It ended a miserable run at the National Games for Su. The result was a reversal of the 2017 final where Xie finished ahead of him in a National Games record 10.04 seconds.
At the 2013 National Games in Liaoning, Su finished second behind long-time rival Zhang Peimeng, who won in 10.08 seconds.
Su had run 9.98 seconds three times this year before his Asian best time in Tokyo, making his National Games 100m win his fifth sub-10 second time of 2021.
Su Bingtian finally wins gold at National Games
Away from the track Su is an associate professor at Jinan University in his native Guangdong province and he beat one of his “students”, Yan Haibin, in the final of the 100m in Xian.
“Actually, I came here to compete as a teacher. Yan Haibin, who raced against me today, is a student of my university. This was a race between a teacher and his student, which is a memory I will treasure,” Su told CCTV after winning gold in the final where Yan finished fourth.
Su and Yan were then part of the Guangdong team to win silver in the 4x200m relay final, living up to his dream of inspiring younger sprinters.
“I hope through my own efforts, I can become an example to inspire more young sprinters,” Su told state broadcaster CCTV at the Xian Olympic Sports Centre.
The 21-year-old National Games 100m finalist Chen Guanfeng referring to him as “big brother” and “an inspiration”.
“I don’t think I’m a talent. I just follow the footsteps of our big brother Su. We are the next generation who want to catch up with him,” Chen said after the 100m final, in which he finished fifth.
Asia’s fastest man Su Bingtian aiming to go faster
“He actually doesn’t need to teach us anything, or come to encourage us. All of his races are an inspiration for us, and he would like us to challenge him. As long as he stands on the track, that’s all the encouragement we need.”
Su was critical of the media who had written him off after he won silver at the 2017 National Games in Tianjin.
“I want to tell the young sprinters that you are still in your 20s and you can still fight for at least two editions of the Olympics. Don’t let stereotypes about sprinters’ age or ability limit your growth.
“I think we can write our own life story. So I want to tell others my story. I want to set an example. You can still run fast at the age of 32.”
It is fair to say that 2021 has been something of a late-career renaissance for the sprinter, but it is not his first taste of making history.
Su was the first Asian-born sprinter to go under the 10-second mark, doing so in Eugene, Oregon in 2015 when the then 25-year-old clocked in at 9.99 seconds.
Su Bingtian’s 100m Olympic sprint final tops China TV ratings
“I am so proud of my result. I can write my name into history now and will work harder and run faster,” Su told Xinhua at the time. “This is definitely a huge boost for me.”
Su was born in Guzhen, Zhongshan, in Guangdong province on August 29, 1989.
After bursting onto the scene in 2009, Su really made a name for himself in 2011 when he broke the Chinese record for the 100m, setting a new benchmark of 10.16 seconds at the Chinese Athletics Championships.
The following year Su would reach the 100m semi-finals at the London 2012 Olympics.
In 2013, Su would be drawn into a battle for the Chinese record with fellow sprinter Zhang Peimeng. That May, Zhang surpassed Su before the Guangdong sprinter set a personal and China best with a 10.06-second run at the IAAF World Challenge Beijing in May.
That same year, Su would also make his 100m debut at the IAAF World Championships, reaching the semis before being disqualified for a false start.
China closer to Tokyo relay bronze; Britain set to be stripped of silver
While Su was out of the race, Zhang took the chance to wrest back the China record with a 10.00-second run in those semis.
Su took it back again in 2015 with that historic run in Eugene, in what would become a history-making year.
The 2015 Worlds were held in China and Su became the first Chinese and Asian-born runner to make the 100m final – clocking in at 9.986 seconds in the semi.
That time was the same as French sprinter Jimmy Vicaut and both were entered into what would be a nine-runner final. Su finished ninth.
The 2016 Olympics would see Su reach the 100m semi-final and run a season’s best 10.08 but that was not enough to see him reach a first final, while the 2017 worlds would see him once again finish last in the final of the 100m. That same year, Su also got married to his junior school sweetheart, Lin Yanfang.
In 2018, Su had an outstanding year, with an Asian Games 100m gold in August the highlight.
China’s sprinters equal national record but miss out on medal
Su ran a 9.92-second 100m in Indonesia to set a new Asian Games record, bettering the Nigerian-born Qatari sprinter Femi Ogunode’s benchmark from the 2014 Asian Games.
It was the second time that summer that Su had shown his speed compared to Asian record-holder Ogunode.
Su had matched his 9.91 seconds when he won gold at the 2018 IAAF World Challenge in Madrid in June – the time also taking back the China record from Xie Zhenye, who had run 9.97 seconds earlier in the month. Su ran a second 9.91 that month in Paris.
Su does not think he is done yet.
“Whether or not my career has peaked, I am not sure. But I am not done yet. I still want to challenge in the future,” Su told CCTV in an interview after returning from Japan.
Su will be 35 when the Paris Olympics take place in 2024, which is not unheard of for an elite sprinter.
“It’s not a guarantee. My plan is to continue racing for one more year and see where I will go from there. If I can still compete at the elite level in 2023, I will naturally embrace the challenge to go for the Paris Olympics in 2024. Should I be unable to run as fast as I need to, I will walk away without any regrets.”
So just how fast can Su go?
He is “capable of” 9.79 or 9.78, according to his coach Randy Huntington. The US track coach has overseen the Chinese sprinter’s improvement since 2014. Huntington told CGTN, CCTV’s English-language channel, that Su could have hit that mark in Tokyo.
Su might still win a medal for his Tokyo exploits as his Chinese 4x100m relay team that finished fourth in the final could be bumped up to bronze after a positive drugs test for British sprinter CJ Ujah.
He can add that to his list of records, which include an Asian record for the 60m – 6.42 seconds set in Birmingham, England in 2018 – one of the five fastest of all time.
Su also has a relay silver from the 2015 worlds.
